Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Iannone makes first outing on a MotoGP bike

After the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship, most of the premier class riders returned to Mugello for an official test on Monday. The Pramac Racing team was represented by Randy de Puniet and fellow countryman Sylvain Guintoli, who will replace Loris Capirossi in the event that the Italian does not recover in time to participate at Sachsenring and Laguna Seca.

In the afternoon, Moto2 rider Andrea Iannone had the opportunity to ride the Ducati GP11 to become familiar with the premier class.

After the disappointment of Sunday’s race in which finished 14th, Randy De Puniet got down to work during the test, turning 89 laps. The Frenchman stopped the clock at 1?49.384, the eighth fastest time. Meanwhile, Sylvain Guintoli – who already raced on a Ducati in the 2008 season – made 87 laps and finished the day by signing the 10th fastest time with a 1?52.398.

The test day concluded with an informal debut by Andrea Iannone. The rider from Abruzzi, Italy rode without a transponder, though his lap times were just a few tenths off those posted by Guintoli.

Randy De Puniet:“Today I rode a lot because in the race there were many things that didn?t go as planned. I can?t say that I?m satisfied at the end of this test, since there still are behind the others. We made some progress with the bike this weekend, but not enough to leave Mugello with a smile. We worked hard and solved a few things but we still need to work some issues.”

Sylvain Guintoli:“Today I ran into some difficulties, especially adapting to the tires. It wasn?t easy to ride a MotoGP bike after so long. I couldn?t ask for more: to ride this bike to the maximum you need to make a lot of laps. But I have confidence and think if I have the opportunity to ride at Sachsenring I will have more confidence with the bike.”

Andrea Iannone“I’m really happy I finally got to ride a MotoGP bike. I want to thank Pramac Racing for the opportunity they have given me, but mostly technicians who supported me on this test day. I have to say, the difference between Moto2 is big. This Ducati has a lot of horesepower and is more difficult to ride. I have a lot to learn about the MotoGP bike, but this experience has been very positive.”